Music & Pop Culture
South America
COUNTRY FLAG CAPITAL CITY CURRENCY LANGUAGE
Brazil
Colombia
Venezuela
Peru
Chile
Argentina
Brasilia
Bogota
Caracas
Lima
Santiago
Buenos Aires
Real
Peso
Bolivar
Nuevo Sol
Peso
Peso
Portuguese
Spanish
Spanish
Spanish, Quechua & Aymara
Spanish
Spanish
Monuments and Landmarks
Christ the Redeemer (Rio) Iguazú Fall (Argentina-Brazil)
Machu Picchu (Peru) Moais - Easter Island (Chile)
South american cuisine
The cuisine of Brazil, like Brazil itself, varies greatly by region. Brazilian cuisine can be divided into several distinct locations. From the north of Brazil through the Amazonian jungle, and directly down the Brazilian coastline. Moqueca is a Brazilian recipe based on salt water fish stew in coconut milk, tomatoes, onions, garlic, coriander and some palm oil (dendê).
The cuisine of Argentina is strongly influenced by Italian and Spanish cuisines and cooking techniques. Indigenous gastronomies derived from groups such as the Quechua, Mapuche, and Guarani have also played a role.
Desserts in Latin America are generally very sweet in taste. They include dulce de leche, alfajor, rice pudding, tres leches cake, teja and flan.
Holiday in South America
The Carnival of Brazil is an annual festival held during the Friday to the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent, the forty-day period before Easter. On certain days of Lent, Roman Catholics and some other Christians traditionally abstained from the consumption of meat and poultry, hence the term "carnival," from carnelevare, "to remove (literally, "raise") meat." Carnival has roots in the pagan festival of Saturnalia, which, adapted to Catholicism became a farewell to well things in a season of religious discipline to practice repentance and prepare for Christ's death and resurrection.Rhythm, participation, and costumes vary from one region of Brazil to another. In the southeastern cities of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Vitória, huge organized parades are led by samba schools. Those official parades are meant to be watched by the public, while minor parades ("blocos") allowing public participation can be found in other cities. The northeastern cities of Recife, Olinda, Salvador and Porto Seguro have organized groups parading through streets, and public interacts directly with them. This carnival is also influenced by African-Brazilian culture. It's a six-day party where crowds follow the trios elétricos through the city streets, dancing and singing. Also in northeast, Olinda carnival features unique characteristics, heavily influenced by local folklore and cultural manifestations, such as Frevo and Maracatu.
Sport in South America
Capoeira is a Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics and music, and is sometimes referred to as a game. It was developed in Brazil mainly by African descendants with native Brazilian influences probably beginning in the 16th century. It is known by quick and complex moves, using mainly power, speed, and leverage for a wide variety of kicks, spins, and highly mobile techniques. Capoeira used in genuine self-defense situations incorporates many sweeps and low moves, whereas when played as a game there is more emphasis on high moves, demonstrations of acrobatics, full cartwheels (called au) for evasion, and flips or other exotic techniques by mestres (masters), and performing an entertaining match for the audience.
Capoeira
Association football, commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball. It is played by 250 million players in over 200 countries, making it the world's most popular sport. The game is played on a rectangular field with a goal at each end. The object of the game is to score by using any part of the body besides the arms and hands to get the football into the opposing goal.The goalkeepers are the only players allowed to touch the ball with their hands or arms while it is in play and then only in their penalty area. Outfield players mostly use their feet to strike or pass the ball, but may use their head or torso to strike the ball instead. The team that scores the most goals by the end of the match wins. If the score is tied at the end of the game, either a draw is declared or the game goes into extra time and/or a penalty shootout depending on the format of the competition. The Laws of the Game were originally codified in England by The Football Association in 1863. Association football is governed internationally by the International Federation of Association Football
Music in South America
Batucada is a substyle of samba and refers to an African influenced Brazilian percussive style, usually performed by an ensemble, known as a Bateria. Batucada is characterized by its repetitive style and fast pace. It uses instruments like the "surdo", a large drum, reco-reco, a hollow wooden instrument with a ridged exterior surface that is scraped with a stick.
Capeira music uses instruments like the "berimbau", a single-string percussion instrument (a musical bow), and the "agogo", a single or multiple bell now used throughout the world but with origins in traditional Yoruba music and also in the samba baterias (percussion ensembles).
The tango is a partner dance that originated in the 1890s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Uruguay and Argentina, and soon spread to the rest of the world. Its lyrics and music are marked by nostalgia, expressed through melodic instruments including the bandoneón. One of the most famous composers was Astor Piazzolla, and the most popular singer was Carlos Gardel.
The Carnavalito is a traditional South American dance from the altiplano and puna regions that is practiced in relation to religious festivities. The current form of the dance is an expression of syncretism between indigenous and Spanish colonial culture. The Carnavalito was danced in the Americas long before the Spanish arrived. Today it is still danced in the Northwestern Argentina (especially in Jujuy and Salta) and in western Bolivia. The music is characterized by the use of instruments such as the quena, siku and the bombo; its origin comes from the Huayno, music similar to the Carnavalito.
Vallenato, along with cumbia, is a popular folk music of Colombia. It primarily comes from the Colombia's Caribbean region. Vallenato literally means "born in the valley". The valley influencing this name is located between the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Serranía de Perijá in northeast Colombia. The name also applies to the people from the city where this genre originated: Valledupar (from the place named Valle de Upar – "Valley of Upar").